Compassion is Her Nature
by Ali Wenstern
Summary: Follow up to "Among the Rejects". As a vet, Kim made a promise never to ignore a wounded animal. But when she finds a Xenomorph, wounded by its own kind, will she have the courage to save it? And will it return the favor?
1. Chapter 1

* * *

The sound of the river reaches you before you clear the trees. You look at the limping Warrior next to you. The water had saved your life once before but now it only stirs fear in you. The Warrior hisses reassuringly to you and it calms you down. When you clear the trees you look left and right. When you are sure the coast is clear you run to the river bank. Dipping your head in eagerly, you slurp up the water. The Warrior next to you takes careful sips, all the while surveying the area around it. You lift your head as a strange scent reaches you. The scent troubles you, its familiar and the memories of the encounter are still fresh in your mind. Your shoulder tingles as the memory of a tail pinning you to the ground flashes through your mind. You let out a worried hiss and the Warrior raises its head. It nods knowingly to you, having already picked up the scent.

Suddenly, there is a screech and a Warrior leaps out from across the river towards you and your companion. You jump to the side but your friend isn't fast enough and is tackled by the enemy Warrior. As your companion is pinned by the enemy it looks back at you and hisses; telling you to leave it and warn the others. You take a step forward but two more Warriors leap out and you quickly turn and run back into the woods. The crash of underbrush warns you the enemy is chasing and closing in. You pick up the pace, hoping to outrun the Warriors just enough to warn the others.

You knew, ever since you made the clearing your home, that the Warriors from the Hive would come after you. Since you had been born in the wild, without a "Queen" as your companion had described it, you were marked as a reject and were unfit to live in the Hive. Therefore, any Warriors from a Hive would try to attack you.

Finally you clear the woods and enter the clearing of rejects, which has been your home for the past two months. You run to the center of the clearing and hiss frantically. The other Warriors stare at you, not understanding the warning. A crash behind you alerts you to the danger seconds before a body slams into you, throwing you to the ground. Another shape leaps over you and you watch as it tackles a Runner. The Runner screeches as it's dragged to the ground and the enemy attacks it mercilessly. As the panicked screeches of your family fill the air the Warrior on top of you makes a move. You block out all other commotion around you and focus on keeping your one goal; staying alive.

* * *

Kim yawned and shifted her hands on the steering wheel as her mini-van chugged down the dark road. It had been a long day at work again and all she wanted to do was get home and take a nice, long, hot shower. Kim squinted, as the road in front of her began to curve; her left headlight had burned out a few days ago so Kim was having trouble seeing the road. Not that it was the best of roads; it wasn't well lit and twisted this way and that through the dark woods. Kim had always envisioned something hiding in the shadows and waiting for her to pass before making its move. Suddenly, a dark shape shifted in the blackness. Kim gasped and slammed on her breaks which squealed in protest as the car started to fishtail before slowing to a stop. Kim looked back, expecting-no, hoping- that the shadow had just been a deer venturing too close to the road. When nothing moved Kim relaxed and slowly started to press down on the accelerator. A low cry, almost like a moan, sounded directly behind Kim's car, causing her to jump. Her breath caught in her throat at the sound of the noise; she knew immediately what that sound was, for she had heard it many times in the veterinarian office, an animal in pain.

Kim twisted around to gaze into her backseat, looking for her giant flashlight. She found it tucked underneath the seat. She hesitated before unlocking the door and stepping out into the street. She shinned her flashlight onto the edge road but the animal wasn't there. Kim stood in the middle of the road, wondering if the animal had died or moved on, when the low cry sounded again, coming from inside the woods. Kim walked slowly to the end of the street to the woods, telling herself that she wouldn't go far into the woods. As she scanned her light into the trees, hearing the low rush of a river nearby, the darkness seemed to shift. She quickly placed the beam of light on that spot and gasped at what she saw.

The creature lying curled in a ball of pain was unlike any animal Kim had ever seen. It had a long, smooth, curved head with no visible eyes and a mouth full of sharp teeth. It had a black, exoskeleton body, with long, spindly fingers ending in dagger-like claws and a long tail that ended in a sharp barb. It was about twice the size of an Irish Wolfhound -maybe taller. It let out another cry of pain and immediately Kim saw why; the creature had been wounded by something. Four parallel gashes ran across the creature's back. A voice in Kim's head told her it was a bad idea to take the creature. But her desire to help was stronger than her fear.

Taking a step forward, Kim tried to get close to the creature, but it backed away and let out a warning hiss, like a rattle on a rattlesnake just before it struck. Kim ignored it and took another step forward. This time, the creature pounced forward; aiming for Kim's throat. But before the creature could reach Kim it fell to the forest ground, writhing in pain. Kim then took two quick steps and got alongside the creature. It shrieked and tried to slash at her with its claws. From years of dealing with reluctant cats and dogs, Kim was able to get her arms around the middle of the creature. As Kim's arm touched the gashes the creature shrieked and its tail quivered. Kim stared at it fearfully but when it didn't move again Kim guessed the creature was too weak to strike her.

Kim shifted the flashlight around a bit before managing to get the beam to point at the ground. Then she slowly began making her way back to her car, half carrying and half dragging the creature. When Kim finally reached her car she popped the back door open and pushed aside some of the empty boxes from the office. She heaved the creature into the car, watching it closely for any signs that it was going to attack, but it was still too weak to fight her. The creature raised its head slightly to look around the car before lowering its head to the carpet. When Kim was sure the creature was comfortable she shut the door and climbed into the front seat. As she started the car a thought crossed through her head; what was she going to tell her husband?


	2. Chapter 2

* * *

Kim's two-story house was dark when she pulled into the driveway; for once, she was glad her husband was pulling another all nighter at the office. Instead of parking her car in the garage, Kim took the side drive to the backyard where her second veterinary office, for people who made house calls, was. She parked the car in the car port next to the small building and turned the car off. When she opened the back the creature had raised its head curiously but when Kim reached in for it the creature started hissing again.

But once again, it was too weak to struggle as Kim pulled it from the car; although it dug its claws into the carpet and left long gashes as it was dragged from the car. Using the hand under the creature, Kim was able to open the door and drag the creature inside. The motion sensor lights turned on as Kim brought the creature to the backroom where the animals that had to stay the night were kept; at the moment, all the cages were empty. Kim pushed the door open to the largest cage and set the creature inside. The cage consisted of two silver bowls, one for water and the other for food, and a doggie bed in the back corner. The creature looked around, deciding if the place had any hidden dangers. When it was convinced the cage was safe, the creature dragged itself to the bed, keeping its right hind leg off the ground as it went, and lay down. The creature yawned, obviously tired, and Kim shuddered when she saw what looked like a second mouth with a set of sharp teeth inside the creature's first mouth.

Kim had left a large chunk of raw meat from the basement fridge in the creature's cage; in case it got hungry. Now, she paced the hallway in front of the front door nervously; waiting for her husband. 

Greg had never been a big animal fan. He appreciated that taking care of animals meant a lot to Kim but he never liked it when Kim tried helping every injured animal. When the kids where still living at the house they would always be bringing home birds with broken wings or turtles with cracked shells. It had always annoyed Greg to no end when the kids did that so Kim was pretty sure he wasn't going to like the creature she had found. As Kim thought about the creature she remembered it had left gashes in the carpet of her car when she had pulled it out. She hurried back to the car, which she had moved back up to the garage, and studied the damage. Eight gashes ran from the corner where the creature had been to the edge of the car. The marks looked similar and it took Kim a while to figure out where she had seen them before. She realized with dread that the marks were identical to the gashes that scared the creature.

The garage door opening startled Kim so much that she banged her head on the roof of her car as she climbed out. A Ford pick-up truck pulled into the empty space beside Kim's mini-van. Kim quickly shut the door as her husband turned the car off and pressed the button on his visor to shut the garage door. He smiled to her as the door hummed shut and he got out of his car.

"How was your day?" Kim asked as Greg stepped up to her to kiss her on the cheek. She had decided to break the news to him slowly, knowing either way she phrased it he wasn't going to be pleased.

"Fine." Greg avoided Kim's eyes as he led the way into the house.

Kim knew, from the sound of his voice and the shift of his gaze, that there had been some trouble at the hospital where her husband worked; breaking the news was going to be harder than she thought. "There is something I want to discuss to you."

"What is it?" Greg asked, his back to Kim.

"Well, you see, I was driving back from the office today. I decided to take the route through the woods because it was faster and it had been a long day."

Greg turned slowly to face Kim and she got the feeling he figured out what she was trying to say. "You didn't pick up an animal did you?"

"Yes," Kim said and added quickly, "I brought him to the office in the back."

"Kim! You have to get over your obsession of trying to save every last animal that gets hurt!" Greg said, "You don't see me stopping on the side of the road and administering band-aids to every person with a cut or scrape do you?"

"But this is different."

"It's never different!" Greg shouted and Kim could tell that he was going to lose his temper. To her surprise, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath; trying to calm himself. Finally he opened his eyes and asked, "What kind of animal did you bring home this time?"

"I'm not sure," Kim said hesitantly.

"Not sure? What do you mean? Surely you can tell what animal it is, you're a vet, right?"

"It's just, I've never seen an animal like this one before. It's defiantly carnivorous. But it looks alienish to me."

Greg took another deep breath. "Can I see it?"

"I have it in one of the cages in the back."

"It needs a cage?"

Kim explained hastily, "I had to keep it somewhere where it wouldn't get into my medical stuff. Like I said before, I'm not sure what it is and I didn't want to risk it getting into my medicine."

"I'm starting to like this animal less and less," Greg said in a low voice.


	3. Chapter 3

* * *

The alien was lying in its corner, breathing deeply, when Greg and Kim walked into the back of the office; there was no sign of the raw meat save for the bloody stain where it had been sitting before. Kim watched her husband freeze as the lights came on and the alien came into clear view. For a while, all Greg could do was gawk at the alien, completely speechless. Then, without saying a word, Greg turned around and walked back into the front of the office. Kim hurried and followed him out into the examining room, shutting the door behind her so that the lights turned off.

"You are not keeping that thing," Greg said in an unusually calm voice. He had his back to Kim and was looking at a picture of two puppies sleeping in a wicker basket.

Kim was expecting this and had been mentally preparing herself, "Yes I am."

"What?" Greg asked in a tone of voice that sounded as if he hadn't quite heard what Kim said.

Kim straightened her shoulders and said, "I am not getting rid of it. It's hurt and needs my help."

"I don't care what's wrong with it; it can't stay here!" Greg said.

"It was injured by its own kind; who knows what might happen to it if it runs into them again. Plus, its wounds need attention before I will even think about releasing it."

Greg sighed and straightened his shoulders, "You promise that you will get rid of it once it has fully healed? It won't stay as your new pet?"

"No, once it's healed I'll set it free. You have my word," Kim swore.

Kim and Greg walked back up to the house. As soon as they reached it Greg hurried upstairs without a word to Kim. Kim sighed and started making her way to the living room when there was a harsh knock on the door. Kim hurried to the front door and opened it quickly. An elderly woman with a worried expression was standing in the door way, a grey pug in her arms.

"Oh, Mrs. Stacy, how's Timmy? Is there something wrong?" Kim asked.

"He was bitten by one of the other dogs again. The poor dear just can't seem to get along with the others," Mrs. Stacy said. She was holding a handkerchief in her free hand which she used occasionally to dab at her cheeks.

"Hm," Kim said and gently took Timmy out of Mrs. Stacy's hands to study his wound better. The pug had a nasty bite on its neck that would need at least four stitches, "I may need to keep him here overnight."

"Oh, thank you," Mrs. Stacy said, "I brought some of his kibbles in case he had to stay the night."

"Thank you Mrs. Stacy," Kim said and she took the bag of dog food in her free hand, "He should be fine by noonish."

* * *

Timmy lay still on the examination table as Kim applied three stitches to his neck wound. Kim wrapped Timmy's neck in gauze to prevent Timmy from accidentally ripping the stitches open in the night.

The automatic lights flickered on as Kim brought Timmy into the kennel. The alien raised its head and hissed a warning. Timmy responded to the hiss with a happy bark. The alien cocked its head in confusion and slowly rose to its feet. It walked to the front of its cage and watched the dog in Kim's arms carefully. Kim was debating whether or not she should put Timmy far away from the alien or relatively close. Timmy kept barking at the alien and Kim finally made up her mind. She walked to the kennel next to the alien's cage and placed Timmy inside. The alien crouched down as the curious little pug walked up to it. The two animals sniffed each other and Timmy wagged his tail happily.

"I guess I should probably name you, huh?" Kim said as she watched the alien. The alien turned sharply and hissed a warning to Kim. The noise reminded Kim of a snake and a name popped into her head, "Cobra."

* * *

**A/N: For those of you who have read my other stories about Ali, did you notice that I named the dog Timmy? A shortened version of Timothy? ;D  
**


	4. Chapter 4

* * *

The next day, Kim stepped into the kennel and approached Cobra's cage slowly. The alien was curled up on one side of its cage. Timmy was on his side of the cage, pressed as close to Cobra as he could get. Kim set the bucket of meat down and walked to the cage. She had bought the meat early in the morning to feed the alien, knowing what she gave him last night wasn't enough. Kim opened Timmy's cage and the pug immediately jumped out and started wagging his tail eagerly. Cobra's head popped up too but his black body tensed cautiously. As Kim pulled a large chunk of meat out of the bucket she thought about ways to earn Cobra's trust. Before she could open the cage, Timmy leapt forward and tried to grab the piece of dripping meat. Kim was momentarily distracted as Timmy began jumping around trying to get Kim to play. Kim laughed and crouched down and allowed Timmy to lick her hand, stroking the top of the dog's head. As the little pug licked the meat's blood off her hand, Kim heard a slight shuffling. She looked up to see Cobra rising to a standing position. The alien was watching Timmy and Kim closely, its body no longer tensed in defense. Cobra hissed and Timmy turned away from Kim and trotted over to Cobra. Timmy's tail wagged eagerly as Cobra crouched down. The two animals repeated the nose touch they did last night and Timmy barked excitedly. Kim decided to use the time Cobra was distracted to put the meat in the cage. But as the lock clicked open, Cobra's attention was diverted from the dog to Kim. The alien hissed a warning for Kim to back off. But Kim's determination was strong and she pulled the door open.

Cobra hissed again but Kim could tell he was afraid as he stepped back into the corner of his cage. An idea formed in Kim's mind and she called Timmy to her. The eager dog came willingly and Kim allowed Timmy to go into the cage first. Timmy ran over to Cobra and attempted to jump on its back. Kim was amazed Cobra was able to put up with the overly energetic dog. When Kim felt Timmy had been in the cage long enough, she called to him. Timmy turned his attention to Kim and hurried out of the cage to her. Cobra's hiss sounded slightly desperate, as if he couldn't bear Timmy to leave him.

"You can come too," Kim said, speaking softly as she often does with scared animals. Cobra looked at her, backing up slightly and Kim sighed. It was hopeless thinking Cobra would move if she was standing in front of the door. So Kim opened the door all the way and walked away from the cage, back into the examining room, bringing the meat bucket with her and Timmy following behind. Cobra hissed, trying to get Timmy to come back. But Kim placed a bowl of kibbles on the ground, knowing from past experiences that nothing pulled Timmy away from the food bowl. Cobra would have to come to her. While waiting for the alien, she busied herself with getting things ready to treat its wound.

Kim tried not to pay attention as she saw the alien making its way out of the cage. Cobra's body had tensed up as he stepped attentively forward. Kim turned her back on Cobra and placed the raw meat in the food bowl, stepped away and turned her back again. She smiled to herself when she heard Cobra tearing into the meat. She moved around the examining table and came up alongside Cobra. Kim noticed the way Cobra tore at the meat and realized he was starved. Reaching out with her hand, palm facing the alien, she slowly approached Cobra. Cobra raised his head, meat hanging from his mouth, as Kim's hand came closer. She realized with shock that, without being able to see its eyes, the alien was truly terrifying. But she kept coming anyway. The alien stood still and allowed Kim to get closer. Kim was starting to worry, what would happen if Cobra suddenly tried to bite her? She had noticed that he was getting stronger and that means he would be faster and he would easily be able to bite her hand off.

"It's okay," Kim said softly as her hand came within inches of Cobra. Kim suddenly realized the reason Cobra was allowing her to do this; he had seen her stroke Timmy and the dog had loved it. She realized that Cobra was trying to trust her. She was too busy thinking about Cobra's willingness that she didn't notice her hand had already reached Cobra's head. The alien's head felt like smooth glass; slippery and cool under her hand. She rubbed slowly up and down and the alien hissed gently; unlike the usual threatening one.


	5. Chapter 5

* * *

Kim continued to stroke Cobra for a few minutes before finally lowering her hand. Cobra raised his head higher and brought his head closer to Kim. Kim took a step backward in shock but then stood her ground; Cobra had waited for her greeting, she would wait for his. Cobra's greeting turned out to be a gentle head bump against Kim's chest.

"So does this mean we're friends now?" Kim asked Cobra. The alien hissed in reply and returned to his food bowl. Kim smiled to herself. She put her hand on Cobra's side and walked down toward his back to get a look at his wound. Kim was surprised to find that the wound was no longer as nasty as it had originally been; it was healing fast on its own. Kim walked to her cabinet and looked inside. She found some rubbing alcohol and grabbed a bag of cotton balls. She walked back to Cobra and studied the wound a final time. There was still a chance that the wound could develop an infection so she had to make sure that it would heal properly. She poured a little bit of the rubbing alcohol onto a cotton ball and then dapped at the wound carefully. Cobra continued eating as though nothing was wrong and Kim sighed with relief; most animals jumped when the rubbing alcohol started to burn. Clearly, Cobra wasn't affected by it. Kim continued to rub the alcohol to kill any bacteria that might have settled in.

As Kim walked back toward the table she noticed a scar on Cobra's left shoulder. The wound was a straight line and seemed to have healed improperly. Kim touched it and confirmed that it hadn't healed right. She went back to her cabinets and found a scalpel. She started to scrape some of the dead skin off the wound so that she could set about healing it properly. Suddenly, Cobra jumped back, away from Kim and hissed. Kim froze with the scalpel raised, she was shocked by the sudden display of aggressiveness and she started to regret thinking she had completely earned Cobra's trust. A faint sizzling noise caught Kim's attention and she looked down at the ground. Cobra's old wound had started to bleed and the blood had dripped on the ground; burning it away! Cobra hissed and took another step back, looking down at the hole his blood had created. It dawned on Kim that Cobra didn't want his blood to hurt her and he really did trust her now.

Cobra refused to let neither Kim nor Timmy near him while he was still bleeding so Kim sat on the table while Cobra tried to keep the blood from eating too much of the ground away. When the bleeding finally stopped Kim applied some Neosporin to the shoulder wound so that it would heal properly. After the wound was properly bandaged, Kim left the two animals to themselves. She walked slowly back to the house, dreading what Greg would say.

* * *

She walked in through the back door as quietly as possible past the living room. The TV was on so Kim knew Greg was in there. She had reached the stairs and had started heading up to her room when she heard Greg call out to her. She sighed and walked back toward the living room.

Greg was sitting in the middle of their large, grey couch. He held the remote limply in his left hand. He raised his eyes to look at Kim without moving his face and said, "So how is it doing?"

"He's healing extremely fast and should be strong enough to live on its own by late tonight," Kim said. She surprised herself by the sadness in her voice. Then she added, "I decided to give him a name while I keep him."

"What!" Greg shouted, suddenly jumping up out of the couch.

"What's wrong with naming him? It's not like it's a crime," Kim said, shocked by Greg's reaction.

"You can't name it! Once you name it you start getting attached to it and you won't want to get rid of it!" Greg shouted.

"This isn't something to get so mad about."

"Oh, this is definitely something to get mad about!" Greg yelled, "I won't stand for you keeping that thing anymore! I want it gone when I get home!"

Kim was taken aback. "Where are you going?"

"I need to clear my head," Greg said and he stormed past Kim. He grabbed a set of keys that were hanging on the hook by the door and slammed the front door behind him. Kim stood frozen where Greg had left her and stared at the TV; which was still running. She pressed the power button on the TV with numb fingers. A knock on the door startled Kim and she jumped. She hurried quickly to the door and opened it to find Mrs. Stacy.

"Hello," Mrs. Stacy said, "Is Timmy okay to come home now?"

"Ah, yes, he is doing fine. I'll go and get him for you," Kim said and hurried toward the back of the house. She ran to the second office and found Timmy and Cobra lying down next to each other. Kim was almost tempted to tell Mrs. Stacy that Timmy had to stay for a couple more nights; but she couldn't keep him if he was healthy. So she called out to him and he came over obediently. Cobra tried to follow but Kim shut the door on him. She could hear him calling out to Timmy but she ignored him and brought Timmy back to the front of the house.

"Thank you so much," Mrs. Stacy said, taking her dog. Timmy licked his master's face and barked happily. "How much would that be?"

"Um, 25 dollars," Kim said.

Mrs. Stacy reached out with her free hand and handed Kim a twenty and a ten. "Keep the change."

"Thanks!" Kim said and she pocketed the money.

Mrs. Stacy started to turn back but stopped, "What's wrong with Greg?"

"Oh, you know, the usual," Kim said and tried to put on a cheery smile.

"You found another animal again, didn't you?" Mrs. Stacy asked with eyes full with sympathy.

Kim just nodded and Mrs. Stacy nodded back. She then turned back and walked down the sidewalk toward her parked car in the driveway. Kim waited until Mrs. Stacy pulled out of the driveway and drove off before shutting the door behind her. She walked to the garage and peaked in to see that Greg had taken her mini-van. _Great_, Kim said and she sighed. The van was running low on gas so Greg propaply wouldn't be out long. She knew Greg would be furious of Cobra was still here but she wasn't sure if she would be able to get rid of him.


	6. Chapter 6

* * *

She tried not to think as she walked to the vet office and walked inside. Cobra was lying in the middle of the office but raised his head when Kim entered. Cobra hissed and rose up to greet Kim with a nudge against her chest. Kim felt a knot rise up in her throat as she struggled to get it over with. She was suddenly tempted with the urge to go against Greg and keep Cobra but she knew that was a foolish idea; Greg was right, keeping it wouldn't be a good idea, especially since she still didn't know what it was.

Cobra suddenly hissed, as if to ask what was wrong. Kim reached up a hand and ran it along his smooth, eyeless head. She then turned and walked to the door, Cobra following behind. She opened it and stepped outside into her yard, shutting the door after Cobra. Tears were flowing freely down her cheeks as she continued walking until she was in the middle between her house and office. She stood there for a moment, trying to gather the courage to shoo Cobra away. Suddenly, Cobra bumped Kim in the back with his head and hissed gently. Kim turned around to face the alien she had come to love.

"You have to go now, Cobra," Kim said. Cobra cocked his head to the side, confused. Kim wiped the tears away and said more forcibly, "You need to go!" Cobra took a step back, clearly shocked by the harshness in Kim's voice, but still refusing to leave. He tried to bump her again but Kim took a step back.

"Go!" Kim shouted a final time and pushed Cobra away from her. Cobra hissed and started to turn away. Kim smacked him with the palm of her hand and he ran away with a screech. In no time, Cobra was swallowed up by the cover of the forest. Kim stayed where she was, not bothering to stop the tears that fell down her cheeks.

* * *

Kim was sitting in the kitchen, her eyes no longer able to cry anymore tears, when Greg came home. She was surprised that he was able to stay out until dark in the van, unless he had filled it up while his was out. He came barreling into the kitchen, his eyes wide.

"Did you get rid of it yet?" he asked, frantic.

Kim glared at Greg icily, "Yes," but her face softened when she saw how scared Greg looked, "What's wrong?"

Greg shook his head and went to the fridge. He grabbed a cold beer and walked back to the table, sitting across from Kim.

"Greg, what's wrong?" Kim asked again.

"That thing!" Greg said. Kim noticed that he was as white as a sheet, "That thing is dangerous!"

Kim clenched her fists tightly and said through her teeth, "That's your opinion! I don't thi--,"

"Its _kind_ is dangerous," Greg said, interrupting Kim, "I was driving back home after I had filled up the van since it was low on gas."

"Yes, I knew that," Kim said.

"On my way back, I had to drive slowly because you forgot to get that headlight fixed, I happened across a couple jogging at the edge of the forest. I rolled down the window to wave when, suddenly, three of those alien things jumped out and attacked the couple!"

"What?!" Kim asked.

"I couldn't believe it! They looked exactly like that thing you found except they walked on two legs instead of four. I must have cried out because they turned to me and jumped at me. I was able to floor it and get away but I think they might have been following me."

Kim grew cold as she remembered the marks on Cobra's back and the marks Cobra had made in the van. Those must have been the ones that had attacked Cobra in the first place. They must have caught wind of his scent from the van and pursued after it; Cobra was in serious danger.


	7. Chapter 7

* * *

Suddenly, there was a crash and a screech. Kim jumped up and started to run to the hallway but Greg got there first and he looked down the dark hallway. Suddenly, he fell back and shouted, "Run!"

Kim backed up quickly just as a creature like Cobra jumped out and hit Greg in the chest. She screamed as the alien shot its tongue with teeth into Greg's head. The alien turned to Kim and she ran out the back door. There were already two other aliens outside as Kim burst through the door. She was able to duck as one leapt at her. The other watched her as she took off toward the vet office. But before she could get there, a dark tail with a barb shot out in front of Kim and knocked her off her feet. She screamed as she fell and rolled over to see one of the aliens bearing down on her. Saliva dripped from its mouth as its bared its teeth at Kim. Its mouth opened slowly and she remembered what the one in the house had done to Greg. She closed her eyes as she waited for the strike. But it never came. She opened one eye slowly and saw another alien attacking the first. Its backside flashed in front of Kim and she saw four gashes on its back.

"Cobra!" Kim shouted with relief. Cobra hissed as the other alien tried to make its way around it to get to Kim. He whipped his tail out and pierced the alien with his barb. Kim quickly scooted back to avoid the blood as it sprayed across the lawn. Cobra pushed the dead alien off of it and stared at the other two as they slowly advanced. They hissed at Cobra and dropped down into crouches. Cobra hissed back and moved so that he was in front of Kim. The two aliens watched closely and screeched to each other. Kim saw that one had red blood on it and she covered her mouth quickly. That was the one to jump first and aim for Cobra's side. Cobra side-stepped out of the way only to meet the claws of the other alien. Cobra screeched in pain as his blood splattered the now dead grass.

"No," Kim whispered as she watched Cobra slump forward slightly. The two aliens backed off and watched Cobra carefully. She knew that they were getting ready to move in for the kill and she looked around for something she could use as a weapon. She found a long metal pole that was used to support saplings. She grabbed it and attempted to lift but realized that it was extremely heavy. She didn't have time to find another weapon as one of the aliens decided to go in for the kill. She grabbed the pole in both hands and managed to lift it waist height. She ran with the pole in front of her like a spear just as the alien reached Cobra. The pole disappeared into the alien's head and caused it to shatter. Kim dropped the pole, the end already being eaten away, and took two steps back. The second alien hissed angrily at Kim and advanced toward her. She backed up quickly but tripped in her hast. The alien kept coming and was almost upon Kim before it was tackled in the side. Kim screamed slightly as Cobra and the alien rolled away from her and continued rolling, eventually being swallowed up in darkness.. The second alien was screeching angrily and Cobra seemed to be hissing in pain. Suddenly, Kim heard a crunching sound that was quickly followed by silence.

Kim remained frozen where she was, trying to see into the darkness. A faint rustling drew her attention to her right and her breathing quickened. She crawled backwards slightly as the sound of movement drew nearer and nearer. Suddenly, an alien came into view of the light hanging above the the office. The alien hissed and Kim started to scream. The alien took another step into the light, giving a gentle hiss. With that sound, Kim knew it was Cobra.

Cobra limped slowy to Kim and hissed a third time, this time he seemed to be asking if Kim was alright. She started to stand but fell back weakly into the ground. She looked up at Cobra and smiled slightly.

"You came back." Cobra came forward and bumped Kim with his head, opening his mouth slightly. Kim caught sight of the second mouth and remembered her husband. She broke down in hysteric crying. Cobra hissed in concern and lay down next to Kim, wrapping his tail around her and rubbing his head against her chest. His soothing hisses lulled Kim and she leaned heavily into Cobra and closed her eyes, understanding that Cobra considered her one of his own.


	8. Chapter 8

* * *

Kim wiped her forehead and took a deep breath. "That should hold for a while."

Cobra turned his head to look at the bandage on his shoulder. He hissed and nodded in satisfactory. Kim smiled and sank slowly to the floor, leaning against the wall. Cobra stood up and walked over to Kim. He lay down next to her, resting his head in her lap and hissed softly. Kim smiled down at the alien and stroked his smooth head. Kim closed her eyes for a moment and didn't even realize as she drifted off into sleep.

Kim opened her eyes slowly to see sunlight streaming in through the window. She stretched her arms over her head and yawned. She suddenly realized something was missing and finally realized that Cobra was gone. She sat up quickly.

"Cobra!" Kim called out.

She ran outside and then sighed in relief. Cobra was sitting out in the middle of the yard, looking like an overgrown dog, gnawing on some unrecognizable animal. He looked up when Kim walked out and hissed happily, blood dripping down his mouth.

Kim rolled her eyes. "Wipe your mouth."

Cobra cocked his head to the side and studied Kim. It shocked Kim to realize that he was trying to understand what she was talking about.

"Like this," Kim said and she walked over to Cobra.

Getting down on her knees in front of Cobra, she used her bare hand to wipe some of the blood away from Cobra's mouth. Cobra hissed and his tail swung back and forth. He lowered his head to his front leg and wiped his mouth on his leg. He then looked up at Kim with his mouth open slightly. Kim smiled and nodded.

"I wish I knew more about you," Kim said as she watched Cobra return to the carcass. Suddenly, Kim snapped her fingers, "That's it!"

Cobra hissed in annoyance at the sudden noise and shook his head. Kim ignored him and got to her feet. She remembered about a government building that Greg had mentioned at one time. It was supposed to be secret, but Greg had heard of it from one of his patients who had worked there. He had been dying and had given Greg a message to transfer to the building. Greg had told Kim about the building and she had even gone with him when he went to deliver the message, but he refused to tell her more about the message. She wasn't sure but if there was any place that would have information on Cobra's kind, it would be that one.

"Come on Cobra," Kim said and she started walking forward.

Cobra looked down at the remains of his breakfast before hissing and rising. He trotted after Kim but slowed down as he came up alongside her. He hesitated when he saw Kim walking up to her mini-van. He hissed and lowered his body into a crouch.

"You're going to have to get in. Otherwise I'll leave you here," Kim said.

She wasn't sure how well Cobra understood her, but he rose and walked over to the car. Kim opened the sliding door and Cobra climbed in. Once he had gotten into a comfortable position in between the seats, Kim shut the door and walked to the garage door. She grabbed her car keys that were hanging on a silver hook and ducked inside her house to grab a sweatshirt before walking back to the car. She hopped into the driver's side and started the car up.

Cobra hissed with uneasiness as the car moved forward but he eventually calmed down and placed his head on the ground. Within minutes he was breathing deeply, fast asleep.

Kim didn't think she would remember the way there, but as she continued driving, she recognized the beaten up path that led off deeper into the woods. She slowed down and turned on to the beaten path. As the car regained speed, Cobra raised his head and looked out the window. He hissed in excitement but Kim couldn't tell what excited him.

Kim parked the van out of sight of the building to avoid detection. She and Cobra snuck up to the side of the building and Kim began to look for a way inside. Cobra suddenly bumped Kim with his head and looked up toward an open air-duct. Kim smiled and walked over toward it, Cobra following behind. Cobra wrapped his tail around Kim's waist and lifted her into the air. He set her down gently inside the air duct and then jumped up behind her, landing gracefully.

"Okay, I know you can sense things," Kim said, "I want you to try to find a computer room of some kind, someplace where they'd keep all their files."

Cobra cocked his head to the side and then nodded slightly. He tilted his head from side to side for a moment. He focused for a while longer, and then shook his head swiftly as if trying to shake off a fly.

"Can you find it?" Kim asked.

Cobra nodded and quickly squeezed past Kim and led the way through the air-ducts. After a while, he stopped in front of a grating and peered down into the area beyond, making sure it was safe, before head butting the grating and sending it crashing into the ground. Kim held her breath, sure that someone had heard the crash, but nobody showed up. Kim sighed and waited as Cobra dropped down to the ground. She stuck her head out and saw that the air-duct was at least five feet off the ground. Cobra had already taken note and had raised his tail up toward Kim. As soon as Kim grabbed his tail, Cobra pulled back and lowered her to the ground.

"Okay, let's see if we can find something," Kim said and she walked to the nearest computer.

Sitting down, she touched the start button and the computer hummed into life. Cobra came up behind her and placed his head on Kim's shoulder. A small box popped up and a little curser blinked within. Kim froze; she didn't consider that she would need a password. She placed her hands gently on the keys and thought about a possible password.

Suddenly, Cobra hissed and took off. Kim jumped slightly as she felt Cobra leave her shoulder. He was gone for only a second, but when he returned he was dragging a man by the collar.


	9. Chapter 9

"Cobra! Put him down now!"

Cobra flinched at the sharpness in Kim's voice and let the man fall to the ground. Kim rushed to the man's side and checked for a pulse; he was still alive.

Kim sighed and looked up at Cobra. "Why did you do that?"

Cobra bowed his head slowly and nudged Kim then bobbed his head toward the computer. Kim quickly caught on to what he was thinking. He had gotten someone who would know the password to the computer.

"Sorry, Cobra. I shouldn't have yelled at you." Kim said. Cobra bobbed his head in understanding.

Kim turned her attention back to the man and searched him for an ID. She found one in his shirt pocket and she pulled out a badge with a picture of the man. His name was John Daleman. Suddenly, he let out a groan and tried to struggle to his feet. He stopped when he saw Cobra and Kim and his expression immediately hardened.

"You shouldn't be here," John said.

"I won't be staying here long," Kim said, "I just need to get some information that I'm sure you have in your files."

"I doubt it, ma'am," John said coldly.

"Well, you won't mind if I took a teensy look?" Kim said. Cobra hissed to emphasis.

John stared at the alien but didn't seem surprised or scared to see him. Kim could tell that the man's lack of surprise or fright was annoying Cobra because he swung his tail back and forth fiercely and screeched.

"I can't allow you access," John said.

"Very well then," Kim said, "Cobra, do as you please."

Kim turned her back as Cobra hissed eagerly and flashed his teeth in a demonic-like smile. John's eyes widened but he said nothing as Cobra advanced on him.

When the alien was within striking distance he caved in. "Alright! I'll give you the damn password. Just keep that thing away from me!"

Kim smiled and turned back. She gave a nod and Cobra backed off with a depressed hiss. John walked over to the computer quickly and typed in an eight letter password and hit the enter button. The screen went black for a moment then a bunch of files popped up on a white background. John moved the mouse towards a file with the title "X" and opened it.

An image of a creature like Cobra popped up. It had its teeth bared and looked like it was ready to attack. Kim sat down quickly and read the information beneath the picture.

_Not much is known about this species. The scientific name given to it is _Internecivus raptus _(murderous thief)_ _as a fill in for its unknown name. A term often used to describe it is Xenomorph; a strange shape. From distant studies and rare witnesses some things have been discovered about these creatures. They take a living host to their "Hive" where a Queen lays an egg. The egg contains an organism that attaches itself to the face of its victim which gives it the name facehugger. After laying the embryo inside the host, the facehugger falls off and dies. After a few short minutes the embryo bursts out of its host in the form of a chestburster. The chestburster then moves on to grow in a matter of an hour and become a full-grown adult Warrior. The shape of the Xenomorph seems to be determined based off of its host: a Xenomorph born from a human will be bipedal and a Xenomorph born from a four legged animal, such as a dog, will be quadrapedal. Once an adult, the Xenomorph fulfills the commands of its Queen. Furthermore, from certain studies, it has been assumed that the Xenomorphs are attracted to fear as they will attack those who show fear first. Whether this is fact or coincidence is unknown. While most Xenomorphs are dark blue with four dorsal tubes on their backs (the reason for these tubes is unknonw), there have been rare cases of brown Xenomorphs that lack the dorsal spikes; these are nicknamed Runners and are born from four-legged animals. Some characteristics that all Xenomorphs share are the eyeless, elongated heads, barbed tails, powerful inner jaws, and acidic blood. They don't show any signs of real intelligence, but they do seem to be quick learners. The only known enemy of the Xenomorph is the Yautja (See folder Y). Yautja are the only exception to the "fear" theory based on the account of Xenormophs attacking Yautja at first sight without the Yautja showing any signs of fear._

_The only known survivors of Xenomorph encounters are Ellen Ripley who has encountered them four times and Alexia Woods who got assistance from an adolescent Yautja. Another human who has made contact with the aliens is a woman by the name of Ali Wenstern. She was born with Xenomorph DNA and is therefore thought of as one of their own. She has kept away from humans and has shown hostility to humans that have come near._

_As of now, there are two Xenomorph Hives in the nearby area. One of them has a Queen and the other seems to be a group of "rejects"; Xenomorphs that have been rejected by the other Hive. (This information was given when the deliverent suffered a heart attack to Greg Sanders who brought the information here)._

Kim leaned back and thought about what she had just read. So this is what that man had told Greg, the information that he wasn't allowed to reveal to her. She then thought about the rest of the information; she had learned a lot. She realized that the fear theory would explain why Cobra never attacked her before except in self-defense. And it would also explain why the other aliens attacked Cobra, he must be a reject. But what was the Yautja? She closed the file and looked for the "Y". Before she could click on it, there was a loud wailing and a red light lit up the room.

**A/N: The Ali mentioned above is _not_ from Ali: The Xenomorph Princess, she's from Child of the Aliens.  
**

**~Ali Wenstern  
**


	10. Chapter 10

* * *

Kim turned sharply in the chair to see that John had moved to the wall and turned on an alarm system. Cobra hissed angrily when he realized John had snuck past him. He leapt forward.

"No, wait!" Kim shouted, but she was too late. Cobra had sunk his teeth into the man's skull; dark red blood oozing onto the floor.

Cobra turned to Kim happily, thinking he had done well. But he hissed in confusion when he saw the look on Kim's face. He lowered his head and his tail drooped. Kim struggled to remain mad at the alien, but her anger dissipated quickly and she said, "It's okay, Cobra, I forgive you," Kim said. Cobra perked up and hissed happily. "We need to get out of here."

Cobra hissed and walked back to the air duct. He crouched down and offered his back to Kim. As soon as Kim stepped on his back, he stood up slowly. Kim grabbed the bottom of the duct and pulled herself inside. Cobra jumped in after her and nudged her along. Kim crawled quickly through the air-duct with relatively ease, and was able to find her way back out. She rolled out of the air-duct and onto the ground, ducking as Cobra jumped out after her. She started to run to her car, but Cobra cut her off. He was gesturing toward the woods.

"But—," Kim started but Cobra hissed angrily and gestured toward the woods again.

Kim sighed and followed Cobra into the woods. The alien lead the way through a dense patch with sheet excitement. Kim wondered what it was that could excited him so much, then she saw why. Up ahead there was a medium sized clearing with dark figures moving around inside. Cobra screeched loudly and a couple of the figures inside the clearing stopped. An answering screech echoed back and one of the figures left the clearing, limping as fast as it could. Cobra hissed and ran toward the limping figure. Kim ran along behind Cobra to keep him close and the figure came into view. It was another alien, except blue in color and walked on two legs. The two aliens met and rubbed heads together happily. Kim slowed down when she neared the two aliens and approached Cobra's side carefully; trying to hold back her fear. The limping alien froze when it saw Kim and cocked its head to the side. It stared at Kim and then started hissing to Cobra. Cobra's hisses were happy and energetic as he spoke with the limping alien. Kim took the time to examine the other alien, trying to find out what was causing it to limp. She noticed that its right leg was slightly mangled. The wound had been there for a long time and the alien had learned to walk differently to make up for the injury.

When the two were done "conversing", Cobra turned back to Kim and hissed, nodding toward the clearing. Kim nodded and followed behind Cobra as he walked alongside the other alien. When they got into the clearing, the aliens there gathered around Cobra eagerly. Kim noticed that the aliens seemed overly excited that Cobra had returned and she assumed that it was because he was the leader; they followed his orders. Once Cobra had touched heads with all the other aliens, at least fifteen, he walked back over to Kim and hissed. She followed him to the other side of the clearing to a pile of leaves. There was already a figure lying down in the pile and Kim thought it was another alien at first. Then the figure shifted and stood up. Kim gasped slightly when she saw that it was a human; a man.

**A/N: sorry for the short chapter gang! Next one will be longer!**

**~Ali Wenstern  
**


	11. Chapter 11

* * *

"Who are you?" Kim asked.

The man smiled and held out his hand. "The name's Ben. Who might you be?"

"Kim," Kim said and shook Ben's hand.

"Kim," Ben repeated, "I see that you met one of them too."

"Oh, yes, Cobra," Kim said. Cobra hissed happily and rubbed Kim's side with his head.

"Cobra? Hm," Ben said, "I never thought about giving them names."

"Well, I'm a vet. I can't help it!"

Ben laughed. "So how long have you known Cobra?"

"A couple of days, actually. How long have you been here?"

"A couple of days also. This little coven was attacked by another group of aliens and a lot of them were injured. I decided to stay and help them out." Cobra hissed at that moment and walked away. A couple of aliens hurried after him and walked at his side. "Looks like Cobra is their leader." Ben said.

"Yeah," Kim said as she watched Cobra walk off.

"How did you find him?"

"He was injured on the side of the road and I healed his wounds," Kim said, "He didn't like me at first, in fact, it was a friend's dog that got him to trust me."

"Wow, that's pretty awesome," Ben said.

"How did you find the Hive?" Kim asked.

"I heard the sounds of the fight. When I came to investigate, the battle had already been fought and the few that were left were barely alive."

"You seemed to have done a good job patching things up," Kim said, looking around.

"Yeah, well, they heal pretty quickly on their own."

"I know; I was surprised on how fast Cobra had healed when I found him."

Ben nodded. He sat back down on the pile of leaves and made a movement with his hands. Kim accepted the offer and sat down next to him. Suddenly, her stomach let out a loud growl. Kim looked down at her stomach and wondered when she had last eaten.

"Hungry?" Ben asked.

"A little," Kim said, slightly embarrassed that he had heard the noise.

"Don't worry; they'll be bringing us something in a little bit," Ben said, "They realized quickly that I didn't have the same kind of tastes as them and have been bringing me berries and stuff."

"Oh, good."

At that moment two Xenomorphs came forward, dragging a basket woven out of leaves. Inside the basket was a mixture of all sorts of delicious looking nuts or berries. Kim reached out eagerly for a handful, but Ben grabbed her hand.

"Wait, let me take a look real quick," Ben said and he sorted out the nuts and berries, throwing some over his shoulder. "The aliens don't know which ones are poisonous or not."

"And you do?" Kim asked.

"Yeah, I'm a botanist, I study plants and animals," Ben said, "I spend most of my time out in the wilderness, eating whatever I can find; I have to know what will kill me and what won't."

"That's what you mean by not having the same tastes as them? You're a vegetarian?" Kim asked.

Ben smiled. "Guilty." He sat back. "I've studied animals all my life and I can't bear to eat them. Those are okay to eat." He added gesturing to the basket.

Kim reached in with her left hand and took a handful of berries, popping them all into her mouth. Ben took a handful of his own and popped them into his mouth one at a time.

"Where's your husband?" Ben asked after a while.

"What?" Kim asked, not hearing.

"I noticed you have a wedding ring," Ben said.

Kim looked down at her left hand to see the golden band encircling her ring finger. "Oh, yeah, I was married until yesterday."

"What happened?"

"Some of the aliens from the other Hive tracked Cobra to my house and killed my husband," Kim said, it felt like she was talking underwater.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Ben said and he placed his hand over Kim's right hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"It's alright; I've been trying not to think about it," Kim said.

Ben nodded and remained silent as he continued to eat from the basket. Kim sighed and looked around. Cobra was nowhere to be seen and she missed him by her side. Suddenly, a large group came in from the opposite end of the clearing with Cobra in the lead. He broke away from the rest of the group and trotted over quickly to Kim. He hissed and curled up next to her, laying his head in her lap and wrapping his tail around her waist.

"That's quite a bond," Ben noted.

"I'm sure something like this interests you, being a botanist and all," Kim said, stroking Cobra's head gently.

Ben chuckled. "Guilty again."

"So what can you tell me about Cobra? What makes him so attached to me?" Kim asked.

"I'm not sure. There's not much I know about these creatures yet to make an assessment."

"Oh, I actually did learn something about them," Kim said and she proceeded to explain to Ben what she had learned about Cobra and his race.

"Xenomorphs, eh?" Ben said, scratching his chin, "Well, unless I knew what creature he came from originally; most animals attach themselves to ones that are close to them. If you took in a wounded animal it would probably develop an attachment. I'm going to go ahead and say that the Xenomorphs are the same way."

"Well, that makes sense," Kim said.

Cobra twitched and let out a slight shriek in his sleep and Kim looked down, stroking his head. She wondered briefly what he was dreaming about, but then realized she didn't really want to know.

"Do you have any kids?" Ben asked.

"Yes, two," Kim said, "They left for college a couple of years ago. I guess, when this is all over, I should call them and tell them what happened to their father."

"That is, if we make it through this experience," Ben said with a laugh.

Kim laughed as well and Cobra raised his head groggily at the sound of Kim's laughter.

"What about you? Do you have any family?"

"Oh, not really, there is this nice woman that I'm seeing--," Ben started, but was cut off at the sound of harsh shrieking.


	12. Chapter 12

Cobra jumped up and took a defensive stance in front of Kim and Ben.

"What's going on?" Kim asked.

"The other Hive must have decided to launch a secondary attack," Ben said, getting to his feet as well and helping Kim up.

"But why now?"

"Cobra came back."

"What does he have to do with this?!"

"The Queen of the other Hive must have realized that the group was getting organized; meaning they decided a leader, or in this case, their leader came back."

Kim watched Cobra as he began hissing and shrieking to the other aliens in the group. They moved to one section of the clearing and waited. For a while none of them moved, but then Kim saw figures moving just outside the clearing. Suddenly, a Warrior flew in from outside and attacked the nearest Reject. The Reject screeched in pain as the Warrior's tail flashed and sent acidic blood arching into the air. The rest of the Warriors poured into the clearing at that moment and attacked the Rejects standing nearby. Cobra hissed at the Rejects that had started to back away in fright. The Rejects turned to look at him for a moment before turning back to the Warriors. They attacked with a new aggression, shocking the advancing Warriors. The Rejects managed to push the Warriors back to the edge of the clearing when, suddenly, two of them burst through the trees right next to Kim.

"Look out!" Ben shouted.

Kim felt herself being pulled through the air before she realized that Ben had knocked her out of the way of a barbed tail. Cobra turned around sharply, hissing angrily that two Warriors had managed to sneak past him. One of the Warriors launched itself at Cobra, and Kim watched in horror as the two rolled off, biting and shrieking at each other. But she couldn't focus on him for long as a black tail flew at her. She turned her attention back to the second Warrior as it moved forward. She scanned the ground quickly, looking for a weapon just as the Warrior leapt into the air.

"Kim!" Ben shouted and he grabbed Kim's wrist, pulling her out of the way.

The Warrior hissed in anger as it landed where Kim used to be. Kim didn't look over her shoulder as she and Ben took off into the forest.

"We have to get out of here!" Ben shouted, tugging Kim along.

"What about Cobra? We have to help--,"

"Cobra can take care of himself; we have to worry about getting out of here before the aliens get their claws on us."

"But--," Kim started to say.

Ben stopped and spun around to face Kim. "Listen, you were the one that told me these things use humans to birth their offspring. If they catch us; we're going to die."

"Cobra--," Kim tried to say.

"Will be fine," Ben insisted, "He was a wild alien before he found you; he knows how to survive."

Suddenly, the sound of something crashing through the branches reached their ears and they froze, looking in the direction of the noise. Every ounce of strength in Kim's body was telling her to run, but her feet remained firmly on the ground. The noise grew louder, matching Kim's thudding heart. Suddenly, an alien burst through, snarling and hissing. It stopped instantly when it saw Kim and Ben and its hisses turned softer.

"Cobra!" Kim shouted excitedly and she ran up to the alien.

Kim slowed down as Cobra shrieked harshly. He crouched down and then leapt forward toward Kim, claws extended.


	13. Chapter 13

"Look out!" Ben shouted and he pulled Kim to the ground as Cobra sailed over them, hissing angrily.

"What's going on?" Kim asked desperately. Cobra had never shown that kind of aggression to her once she had earned his trust; it scared her to see him attempt to attack her like that. Ben got up and helped pull Kim to her feet. Once Ben let go, Kim looked around for Cobra, but he was nowhere to be seen. Suddenly, he reappeared, locked in a fight with a Warrior. Cobra managed to throw the Warrior off and leapt forward to take a defensive position in front of Kim and Ben.

At that moment Kim understood. "He wasn't attacking us. He was attacking the Warrior."

"That's what it looks like," Ben said.

"That's good to know," Kim said. She watched the Warrior crouched in front of Cobra.

The Warrior hissed and stared back and forth between Cobra and Kim. Suddenly, the Warrior made a lunge for Kim and Cobra hissed, moving to intercept the alien. But, at the last second, the Warrior lunged in the opposite direction and barreled into Ben. Ben cried out as the alien slammed him into the ground.

"Kim! Get out of here! Run!" Ben shouted as the alien raised its tail high in the air.

"Ben! No!" Kim shouted as the Warrior plunged the barb of its tail into Ben's shoulder.

Ben's eyes rolled back into his head and his body went limp. The Warrior picked Ben up and, looking back at Kim, ran off into the forest.

"Ben!" Kim shouted and she tried to run after the retreating Warrior. Cobra's tail lashed out and caught Kim in the chest, knocking her back. Cobra placed a clawed front leg on Kim's chest and held her down. "I can help him!" Kim tried shouting.

Cobra shook his head and opened his mouth. He extended his second mouth slowly. The little mouth opened slowly and brushed gently against Kim's cheek. Kim shuddered slightly, remembering how the Warrior used its second mouth to kill Greg. Cobra was trying to tell Kim that no matter what she tried to do, Ben was going to die.

"So what do we do now?" Kim asked Cobra.

Cobra hissed gently and rubbed his head gently against Kim's. He got off of Kim and began walking small circles around her, scanning for forest for more Warriors. Suddenly, the sound of something big moving through the trees could be heard. Kim spun around at the sound of the noise and Cobra hissed to her, swinging his tail back and forth. Two Rejects suddenly appeared behind Kim, causing her to jump and flanked Cobra's sides. They hissed eagerly and crouched down. Suddenly, two armored humanoids came into view. They stood taller than the Rejects, probably taller than the Warriors too, and they were incredibly built. They wore strange masks that completely covered their faces. They seemed to be surveying the area, sweeping their heads back and forth; taking in the three Rejects and Kim. Kim knew that they had to be the Yautja; the enemy of Xenomorphs. Suddenly, twin curved blades extended from a device on one of the Yautja's arms. The two Rejects hissed and pounced on the Yautja. The three fell back into the cover of the forest and vanished from sight, but Kim could still hear the sounds of the struggle. Cobra hissed and dropped close to the ground, just as an object whizzed by. Kim turned sharply just in time to see a spiked-tipped disk burying itself into the ground. Cobra hissed at the remaining Yautja as another stepped out of the forest to join it.

"Where are they coming from?" Kim asked herself.

Cobra prepared to pounce before twitching, as if struck. Kim moved forward slightly, thinking Cobra had been injured. But she could find no wound on him. Suddenly, Cobra spun around and ran toward Kim and she figured out his plan just as he reached her. As Cobra slowed down, coming up alongside Kim, Kim reached out and swung herself onto his back. The moment her feet were off the ground, Cobra took off, hardly giving her enough time to get her grip. Kim finally managed to get her arms around Cobra's neck as he hurtled through the forest. An object whizzed by Kim's head, alerting her to the Yautja's pursuit. She glanced back quickly to see the Yautja running and gaining behind them. Another object whizzed by, this time striking Cobra in the shoulder. He let out a shriek of pain as he lost his balance and toppled over. Kim went flying over him and crashed into a tree. She felt something warm trickling down her forehead and a metallic scent filled her nostrils. She didn't have to look to know it was blood.

"Cobra?!" Kim screamed, getting to her feet.

Cobra rose slowly, screeching in pain. The wound on his shoulder had been sliced open again and the bandage had been melted away by his blood. Cobra hobbled over to Kim, keeping weight off his front leg. There was a crash and Kim's head shot up. The Yautja appeared through the trees, making their way towards Cobra and Kim. Cobra moved to take a defensive position in front of Kim, prepared to fight to the death. Suddenly, the two Rejects from before burst out of the trees and knocked the two Yautja away from Cobra and Kim. They screeched to their leader who screeched in reply. The Rejects turned back to the fallen Yautja and attempted to finish them off. However, there was a dull boom and one of the Rejects screeched and exploded. Kim screamed as two drops of the Reject's corrosive blood landed on her leg, just below her knee.

Cobra hissed in fury and scooped Kim up, running off into the forest. She was barley aware of Cobra running as the pain in her leg intensified. The blood was burning its way through her leg slowly, making it all the more agonizing. Suddenly, water closed over her head and she was sinking in a river. The pain in her leg faded as the water flushed the blood away. Her head broke the surface a second later and she gasped in a lungful of air. Cobra's tail wrapped around her and guided her to the shore. Kim sat down on the bank and turned her attention to her leg. The pants she was wearing had been completely eroded away below her knee. The blood had burned more slowly after going through her pants, so it hadn't burned a hole completely in her leg. She found herself to be very fortunate.

"Thank you, Cobra," Kim said as she took off her sweatshirt and wrapped it around her leg. She bent her knees and pushed off the ground slowly with her hands.

Cobra hissed a welcome and leaned against Kim, supporting her as she tried to stand. Kim managed to get shakily to her feet, but when she attempted to put her weight on her injured leg she almost collapsed again. Cobra hissed and stood taller to provide Kim with a crutch.

At that moment a low moan pierced through the night air, startling Cobra and causing Kim to jump.


	14. Chapter 14

Kim froze and listened closely. The moan suddenly turned into screams and someone began pleading. "Hello?! Is there anyone there? Damn, someone please help me!"

"That sounds like Ben!" Kim said and she moved in the direction of the voice, "Ben?! Ben, can you hear me?"

"Kim?! Where are you?" Ben asked, his voice frantic.

"I'm nearby, where are you?" Kim asked.

"I think I'm in the Hive," Ben said.

Cobra hissed angrily and tried to leave in the opposite direction. He paused when he realized Kim was no longer holding on to him. The pain in her leg had completely evaporated as she thought about Ben being in danger; she wasn't going to let the Warriors get him. She turned toward where she heard Ben's voice and limped forward. Cobra screeched and raced forward to block Kim's path.

"I have to help him!" Kim shouted.

Cobra hissed and swung his tail back and forth.

"I don't care if it's dangerous!" Kim said, "I can save him!"

Cobra shook his head.

"If you don't let me try, then we'll never know," Kim said and she stepped quickly around Cobra and limped on.

Cobra hissed a final time before giving up and moving to trot ahead of Kim to scout the area ahead of time. The trees cleared and Kim came upon a grisly scene.

The opposite side of the clearing in which Kim had just entered was completely covered in a black, resin-like substance. A couple humans were cocooned in the resin. Each human had a gaping hole in the center of their chests. Ben was at the far end of the small group of people. He was awake and struggling against the resin material that covered his body save for his face.

"Ben!" Kim shouted and she hurried to his side. She bumped something with her foot and when she looked down she saw the dead body of a fleshy looking cross between a spider and a human hand. She shuddered at the sight of it, she had always hated spiders, and turned her attention back to Ben.

"Kim! Thank god you came!" Ben said, relief filled his voice.

"I'm going to get you down!" Kim said and she started to pull at the resin.

At that moment, something strong barreled into her side, knocking her away from Ben. At first she thought it was the Warriors from the Hive. But when she looked at her attacker, she realized in shock that it was Cobra.

"I have to help him!" Kim said frantically.

"Kim, save me. Kim!" Ben shouted and his body began jerking and twisting just as he let out an agonized scream.

"Ben!" Kim shouted and got back to her feet, but Cobra refused to allow her near her friend. "Let me up! I can help him!"

Ben's body arched in his cocoon and he threw his head back, letting out another howl of agony. Kim's eyes widened as she watched a bulge appear on Ben's chest. The bulge moved around underneath Ben's shirt and he screamed again as a red stain appeared on his shirt. Cobra stepped off of Kim and allowed her to rise slowly to her feet, but stayed on his guard in case Kim tried to run in. Suddenly, Ben's chest exploded outwards, spraying Kim in blood, and a small, screeching pink thing crawled out of Ben's chest.

Kim was horror struck as the baby alien continued to crawl out of Ben's lifeless form. Cobra hissed at the small alien and made a move to kill it when, from behind, a chorus of hisses sounded. Kim spun around to see the clearing swarming with Warriors. Cobra hissed to Kim and she climbed on his back. Cobra took off, scaling over the wall of corpses to avoid the charging of Warriors. He jumped to the ground on the other side and took off again as more Warriors appeared through the trees. Suddenly, Cobra stopped, hissing in fury and spinning around, looking for another escape. Kim didn't understand what was spooking Cobra so much until she heard the loud hiss. It was much louder than the Warriors and it made Cobra halt in his tracks. A shiver passed through the alien, shocking Kim; she had never seen Cobra react that way. The hiss came again and Cobra turned toward the sound of it, hissing in anger.

In front of them was a massive alien. It had had an extra pair of arms and was held up by strange looking resin supports. It had a large flat crest over its head which was tucked underneath it. Now, however, the it was slowly extending out past the crest, revealing a large head full of sharp, clear teeth.

"The Queen!" Kim gasped.


	15. Chapter 15

* * *

Cobra flinched as the Queen hissed. Kim wasn't sure what was going on, but she could tell that Cobra was afraid. He took two steps backwards but jumped forward again when the Warriors pressed in closer.

"Cobra?" Kim asked, the fear growing in her.

Cobra hissed to her and crouched down, preparing for the onslaught. Suddenly, the Warriors screeched and turned their attention to something else. One of the Warriors flew backwards and exploded into a tree. Kim gasped and buried her face into Cobra's back. He hissed and backed away from the Warriors as they made to attack the mysterious threat. All of a sudden, a bright light filled the trees and another Warrior exploded. That was when Kim realized that the remaining Yautja had joined the fight. As if on cue, the Yautja stepped out of the trees to engage the Warriors hand on. Kim was somewhat impressed at the planned moves of the Yautja; one of his attacks would lead the Warriors into another series of attacks. Even Cobra was stopped in awe of the Yautja. Unfortunately, Kim and Cobra were so absorbed in the fight, that they didn't see the attack coming on their side.

The Warrior slammed into Cobra's side, sending Kim flying through the air. She landed hard on the ground and had to roll quickly out of the way of a falling Warrior body. As she rolled, she bumped into a dead Warrior that had a large spear sticking out of its side. Kim looked up to see the Yautja was now barely holding off the Warriors. And, as he fought, Kim noticed a Warrior sneaking up behind the hunter.

"I'm going to regret this," Kim said as she pulled the spear out of the dead Warrior's body.

She got to her feet and hoisted the spear over her head. She aimed it at the sneaking Warrior and ran forward. The Yautja turned toward Kim as she ran past him and the spear vanished into the Warrior's head. The Warrior fell to the ground with a thud and Kim staggered as the spear was pulled out of her hands, stuck in the dead Warrior. She gasped it with two hands and pulled it out as the Yautja loomed over her. It let out a slight a series of ominous clicking noises and Kim shuddered.

"Here," she said, quickly handing the spear to the Yautja.

The Yautja cocked it's to the side and studied Kim before reaching out to take the spear. It nodded once to her before turning back to the charging Warriors. A hiss alerted Kim to Cobra nearby and she turned her attention away from the Yautja's fight. Cobra ran up alongside her and Kim swung herself quickly onto his back. Cobra, once again, hardly waited for Kim to get her grip before taking off. She peeked over her shoulder to watch the Yautja getting buried beneath a flurry of black bodies.

"Where are we going?" Kim asked Cobra as the alien charged through the trees.

Cobra screeched and continued running. He swung his head from side to side and screeched again. Two aliens appeared on his side and fell into place behind him. They were Rejects, judging by the scars all over their bodies. Cobra and the two Rejects hissed happily to each other as they continued running. Suddenly, behind them towards the Hive, there was a huge explosion. The small group was hit by a tremendous shock wave that knocked them off their feet and sent them flying through the trees. Kim was once again thrown from Cobra's back. She connected with a tree and the wind was knocked out of her. She lay, gasping in the grass, as the sound of heavy footsteps approached.

Kim raised her eyes slowly to see the giant Yautja walking through the forest just ahead of her. And it was then that Kim saw the Yautja's target. Cobra was writhing on the ground, trying to regain his balance after being struck by the shock wave. The Yautja stopped in front of the defenseless alien and raised its spear.

"No!" Kim screamed and she lurched to her feet. She ran as fast as she could as the Yautja raised its spear over its head to plunge it down towards Cobra's side.

Kim jumped in front of Cobra and spread her hands out protectively, glaring at the Yautja, who had frozen in mid-swing. The Yautja cocked its head to the side, studying Kim.

"I won't let you hurt him," Kim said in a dark voice.

The Yautja cocked its head to the other side when Kim spoke and she had a brief flashback to when Cobra had been trying to understand her. The Yautja let out a low clicking sound and flexed its hand. The spear retracted into a small portable version and the Yautja tucked it away in its belt. It took two steps backwards and gave a slight nod of its head. Kim was confused and she watched the Yautja turn and run off into the trees. Kim held her breath, arms still outstretched, for the longest time to make sure the Yautja was truly gone this time. The forest was so quiet that the sharp hiss behind her caused her to nearly jump out of her skin.

"Cobra!" Kim said as she spun around and dropped to the ground, wrapping her arms around the alien's neck. Cobra hissed and swung its tail back and forth. He pulled away from Kim and bumped his head against her chest. "We made it."

The clearing erupted in a folly of hissing screeches as Cobra and Kim stepped inside. The aliens that had survived the Hive and Yautja attack swarmed out to meet the two as they returned. Kim smiled happily and accepted the many head bumps. She tried to keep the images of Greg and Ben out of her head, but no matter how hard she tried to think of something else, their faces would resurface in her mind. Cobra sensed that she was troubled and ordered the Rejects to leave. As they scattered, Kim walked slowly back to the flattened bed of leaves where she had first met Ben. She sat down on something hard and she reached back into her back pocket, pulling out her cell phone. She had completely forgotten about it. But at that moment she realized what she had to do.

Cobra curled up next to Kim as her fingers dialed the keys automatically and she put the phone to her ear. She stroked the alien's head gently as the phone rang. It rang three times before a woman picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hey Becky," Kim said, "This is your mother. There's something I need to tell you."


End file.
